NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

Metro Market Score 62.8 (Difficult), ranked #262 of 331 metros. 1,444 establishments, 16,035 jobs.

Metro Market Score 62.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national finance and insurance average.

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway scores 62.8 on the Metro Market Score for finance and insurance, placing it in the bottom quartile. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

89.4

LQ: 1.11

Rank #296 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

67.1

$96,013 avg wage

Growth Trend

50.5

Employment growth index

Rank #165 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

44.2

YoY wage change index

1,444 Finance and Insurance Firms in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway

1,444

Establishments

-0.8% YoY

16,035

Total Employment

-0.4% YoY

$96,013

Average Annual Wage

+5.5% YoY

1.11

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Arkansas

#5 of 5

finance and insurance metros in state

Arkansas state rank

#7 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+11.2

worse than median (51.6)

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway vs Arkansas Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to Arkansas overall. The state ranks #7/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway	AR Statewide
Overall Score	62.8 Difficult	44.7 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#262 of 331 metros	#7 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway

Construction 38.5 Retail Trade 42.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 50.3

Finance and Insurance in Other Arkansas Metros

Jonesboro 27.0 #27/331 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers 47.6 #157/331 Fort Smith 51.6 #184/331 Hot Springs 53.0 #197/331

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway's 62.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Lewiston-Auburn, ME 62.8 #261/331 Grand Island, NE 62.9 #263/331 Ithaca, NY 62.4 #260/331 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC 63.5 #264/331 Cleveland, OH 63.5 #265/331 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 62.0 #259/331 Lincoln, NE 62.0 #258/331 Anchorage, AK 61.9 #257/331 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT 61.8 #256/331 Salem, OR 64.0 #266/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering Arkansas

State-level entry risk for finance and insurance in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Louisiana 42.0 #6/51 Texas 50.4 #25/51 Tennessee 53.4 #33/51 Mississippi 54.5 #36/51 Missouri 57.7 #43/51 Oklahoma 64.9 #48/51

Browse Finance and Insurance in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for finance and insurance across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway's finance and insurance sector, the industry concentration component (89.4) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment